(Every month, Musicians Against Elitism will feature one lesser-known composer belonging to a minority demographic. If you have any ideas, please feel free to send them over! For further reading, here’s the rest of our musician spotlight series.)
Florence Price was an African-American composer of orchestral, choral, vocal, and chamber music. She was the first African-American woman to be officially recognized as a symphonic composer and to have had one of her compositions played by a professional orchestra.
Price was born on April 9, 1887 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was the daughter of the city’s only black dentist and a music teacher, and grew up with two other siblings in a mixed-race family. Her parents were generally supportive of her musical endeavors; she had her first piano recital at the age of four and began composing at the early age of eleven.
After graduating from Little Rock High School as valedictorian of her class, Price studied music theory and organ performance at the New England Conservatory of Music. It was only then that she began to seriously consider composition as a career. After graduation, she taught music at Clark University in Atlanta. Price passed away on June 3, 1953 at the age of 66.
As a composer, Price was known for using traditional rhythms and motives in her work to create a uniquely African-American style. Price’s best known work, as well as her first piece for a full orchestra, is her first symphony. She composed it while recovering from a broken foot, and submitted it to the annual Wanamaker music competition of 1932. It took the Wanamaker prize, the top honour of the competition. The symphony was praised as “an early American symphony worthy of being discovered” by NPR critic Bob McQuiston. Although most of her work has fallen into relative obscurity due to her race and gender after she passed away, it is definitely more than worthy of rediscovery.
Here are some of our favourites of Florence Price’s compositions:
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I hate how some classical fans think that classical music is superior to all other music, especially so-called "popular" music -- no, it's the music that you prefer, but that doesn't make it better or worse. It pisses me off so much, despite the fact that I listen to basically exclusively classical music.
that’s exactly one of the main points we’re trying to get across! no music is inherently better than other music regardless of personal preference, and the degree of popularity certainly doesn’t make it superior or inferior. even in bach’s and mozart’s days, there were people putting them down and praising the old renaissance masters as the only good music, and i bet that they’re two of the composers that people like this worship.
however, this attitude isn’t just limited to classical music, or even just music in general - it’s present to some extent in pretty much every group, where some people think that their art form/science/nationality/etc is inherently better than another. it’s kind of too big of a problem for us to even attempt to address right now, but the where i personally have the chance to make an impact is in the classical music community. so yes, i definitely agree with you, and this type of thinking should be stopped. i too listen to pretty much only classical music, but that doesn’t mean that i should think pop songs or jazz is any worse than my chosen genre, and “popular music” is popular for a reason. people should just let other people enjoy what they enjoy!
- mod chopin
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honestly, i agree with u 100%! i have a hugely diverse music taste, from hip hop to indie to pop to classical. and u know what, none of them r better than the other, each genre makes me equally happy! if an artist puts in love and effort into a song, whether it’s a major concerto or a soundcloud rap, it is art and has the potential to inspire and make people feel something.
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(Every month, Musicians Against Elitism will feature one lesser-known composer belonging to a minority demographic. If you have any ideas, please feel free to send them over! For further reading, here’s the rest of our Musician Spotlight series.)
Rebecca Clarke was a British composer and violist, as well as one of the first female musicians to play for a professional orchestra. Though most of her compositions were never published, she is only now being recognized as one of the most skilled composers of her time period.
Clarke was born in 1868 in Harrow, England. She spent a considerable portion of her adulthood in both England and America, and claimed both British and American nationality. Her family was very supportive of her musical endeavours, and her father started her on violin lessons at the age of nine. In 1903 she began studying violin at the Royal Academy of Music.
Most of Clarke’s music features the viola and takes advantage of its unique range and expressive capabilities. In fact, her best-known composition is her sonata for viola and piano, which tied for first place in a competition and was so well-liked that people doubted it was actually written by a woman.
Despite not composing many larger works, Clarke’s music was generally very well received in her time, and continues to be today. She has been described as the most influential female British composer of her generation. The Rebecca Clarke Society was founded in 2000 in an effort to encourage the continuation of the performance and study of Clarke’s music.
Here are some of our favorites of Rebecca Clarke’s compositions:
